


Last Trip Home

by Lokisgame



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/M, Movie: The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-19 15:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15513150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: He walked down the unfamiliar corridor, hands shaking, heart in his throat.





	1. Chapter 1

He walked down the unfamiliar corridor, hands shaking, heart in his throat. He jumped off bridges, squared off with terrorists and alien assassins, but this? This was beyond him, his nerves felt like brittle twigs, holding up the weight of his world, inches away from collapsing. Blood pounding, palms sweating, he passed the doors, 204, 206, 208. White, unremarkable, what if she wasn't home? What if she was out, still at the hospital, learning the ropes of her new job, embracing her new reality, refocused on making a change in the world. What if she welcomed the opportunity? Finally free of old spooky to do bigger things, safer things, stable things. What if she was glad to leave.   
Mulder's heart bleed, each thought like a knife stabbing through his resolve. No, not resolve, that implied determination, readiness to face consequences, outcomes both good and bad. Mulder was not resolved, he was desperate. He woke up that morning an realized, she wasn't there anymore. The apartment in Georgetown stood empty, not even her curtains remained, he knew, he checked the day before. No one to call him crazy, no one to kick his ass, no one to question him or keep him in line. He felt lost, abandoned. He was alone.   
He walked through the doors of the bullpen and there was no one there, no friendly face, just a stack of background checks to sort through. He lost his work, he lost his friend, he lost everything and then all the things he didn't know he had. He turned on his heel, and went straight to the airport. One way ticket. Paid cash.   
He stopped by the door, also white, unremarkable. Hand poised to knock missed it's goal.   
She drew the doors open, eyes red, then all he felt was her weight grounding his world, arms around his neck like an anchor, her scent a breath of fresh air. She crushed him to her, holding so tight it almost hurt and breathed out one word.   
"Mulder."


	2. Chapter 2

The last thing she heard before the elevator doors shut, was a loud thump of something heavy hitting the wall in the apartment at the end of the hall. She didn't wait for the doors to slam shut.  
On her way to the car, she shrugged out of her coat, sick of wearing it for God only knows how long. She never noticed the bee that landed on the asphalt and crawled away, right under the wheels of a speeding truck, but jumped away, startled as it passed her, throwing a low curse after the driver.  
_'Asshole. This town is full of assholes,'_ she thought, trying to swallow the lump in her throat and the pain in her chest. Maybe it was time, to look for a new place.  
She started the car and went home, thinking about a bath and a bottle of wine stashed behind the dry muffin mix. She didn't have strength for anything else that evening. 

Turns out, life wasn't as cruel as she thought it would be. The next morning, a phone dragged her out of fitful sleep and into a pounding headache.  
"Scully." She mumbled, not looking at the clock, eleven times out of ten it was Mulder.  
"Doctor Scully, my name is Ramin Shakari, I'm the chief medical examiner at the Boston Forensics Institute, we met at a conference in D.C., a few months ago?"  
The bells in her head started ringing a different song, she remembered the man, fifties, genuine smile, very tall.  
"Doctor Shakari, yes, I remember, what can I do for you."  
"I hope you'll forgive my calling like this because I know this is quite forward and not exactly protocol," the apologetic tone refreshed her memory better than a photograph, "but I spoke to AD Skinner this morning, and found out you're no longer with the bureau."  
_'News travels lightning fast'_ she thought. "Yes, this is correct."  
"Can I ask, if you have any plans, concerning your future?" A gallon of water and a pound of Tylenol for starters, she thought, fighting the headache to stay focused.  
"This is a very recent development, I just began weighing my options."  
"Well then, may I present you with one more for consideration?" his tone turned cheerful, heavy accent boosting the effect.  
"Meaning?"  
"There's an opening at our institute, and I won't lie, your presentation made quite an impression on me an my colleagues, we would love to have a brilliant pathologist like you on our team." Scully's eyes went wide. "The terms are obviously negotiable, as are the benefits. Since I'm in town I'd love to meet with you, to discuss this matter in person, dr. Scully, should you be interested, without any obligations of course."  
A job offer, falling right into her lap, in Boston. Away from madness, away from conspiracies and alien viruses. It sounded suspiciously convenient, but it wasn't outside the realm of extreme possibility that Skinner would put a good word for her.  
"This is quite sudden," she said, keeping her tone neutral, "but of course, we can meet."  
"I'm happy to hear that, would lunch be okay? Today?"  
She glanced at her nightstand, 9:15 am, her stomach rumbled. "Yes, lunch would be perfect."  
They exchanged cellphone numbers and having set the time and place, the man hung up, sounding quite pleased with himself.  
Scully sank back on the pillows and phone still in hand, caught herself, finger hovering over the worn out 1. He was her first thought, so first that he came even before the thought of calling him fully formed. Then last night came back and the words she said and believed in. He didn't need her, she only held him back. It was time to set Mulder free.  
The thought though, weighed her heart to the ground.


End file.
